


And Hell Followed With Him

by wifebeast__s



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Dani has found a new target, Explicit Sexual Content, Gage will follow her to the ends of the world, Maybe other characters - Freeform, Vault Tec, canon? What's canon?, obviously, this is a reckoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:45:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8081818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wifebeast__s/pseuds/wifebeast__s
Summary: Dani sits on the throne above Nuka World, Overboss of the combined gangs – the Pack, the Operators, and a few others that have trickled in. But she is not yet done. There is a whole world beyond their walls that must be brought to heel, and she is the one to do it. But now she has her sights set on the ones she holds responsible for everything that went wrong – Vault Tec.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I was all excited for one shots, and then this happened. I don't know if it'll be updated as frequently as Natural Born Raiders, but it's in my head now...soooo....

Gage wondered if there would ever come a morning when he wasn't at least slightly surprised by the sight of Dani in his bed. He hoped not. They had clocked in nearly a year together now, and every day was at least as good as the last. 

She had come to him through the Gauntlet – and not just the maze that the former boss had concocted, he learned over time. She had walked through fire to get to where she was now, blinding and awe-inspiring in his eyes. She had been his biggest gamble, and she was now his biggest reward. He had watched in growing admiration, as she tore a violent path through her enemies or anyone who stood in her way. 

And now, in the quiet moments of dawn, he watched her sleep – the steady rise and fall of her bare chest, the way the few longer strands of hair fell across her cheek, her hand curled on the pillow that she had scavenged, the swell of her hip under the thin sheet that barely covered her. 

“If I didn't know better, I'd think someone was planning where to stick the knife,” she mumbled, smiling against her arm.

He grunted a laugh, “Who says I ain't?”

One eye opened and met his, as she turned slightly, “Mmm. Should I worry?”

“Well, maybe not a knife,” he murmured, and she laughed.

At least until his hand slid up her thigh, over her hip, and between her legs. She stopped laughing, then, choking back a moan. He pressed against her back, peppering her neck with kisses before biting her ear briefly and whispering, “But I'm sure I can find something.”

She pushed back against him, her skin warm against his chest, her pussy even warmer around his fingers. He traced the line of her neck with his lips, his tongue, his teeth, pushing digits into her until he felt a gush of fluids against his fingers, and he groaned against her skin, as she panted.

He slid a knee between her legs, then, pushing them apart, “That's it, baby.”

She looped her thigh over his; his hand wrapped around her hip, thumb on her ass cheek, fingers across the front of her crest, pulling her back against him, as he ran his length along her moistened folds.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

He grinned, freed up his hand long enough to guide himself to her entrance, “You ready?”

“Mmmmm.”

He pushed into her slowly, returning his hand to her hip to pull her against him. He dropped his face into the curve of her neck, eyes angled down to watch himself disappear inside her, watch her chest heaving with her whimpering breaths, “You are fucking gorgeous, Dani.”

She liked being praised, he knew, and this was no exception. He felt her walls clench around him, and he smiled into her skin. If he could spend every day of whatever was left of his life like this, he would die a happy man. 

Dani's hand found his neck, nails scraping over the stubble on his head. She ground back against him, and he grunted. A few more strokes, and he felt his balls tighten; he pulled out, spilling onto her thigh and gasping against her skin.

There was silence for a moment before Dani looked down, “You're cleaning that up. I can't put my leg down now.”

He chuckled against her before rolling off of the bed and going in search of a towel. When he returned, she was propped on an elbow staring out toward the Grille. Her eyes flicked to him when he approached, and she fought back a smile, as he gently wiped her leg clean.

“All done, boss,” he grumbled.

“Hey, baby, there's something I want to run by you.”

Her tone of voice piqued his interest. He tossed the towel onto the dresser and sat on the mattress, one hand balancing him, the other reaching out to dance his fingers over her arm, “What's that?”

She turned to face him, switching arms beneath her, and gazing into his face, “Gage, it's time for a reckoning.”

He blinked but said nothing. He'd run with her long enough to know that she would explain.

“This world was turned to shit by governments, which I recognize. But...but _my_ world, my life, was put on hold until I awoke here in this Wasteland. It wasn't helped by the war, by government. And, shit, I don't know that the government was even running things by then.”

Gage knew not to take these moments personally. It was hard sometimes. He knew she, well, he knew how she felt. He also knew about Nate, her husband, knew that she would have burned down the entire world to bring him back. He knew he wasn't a consolation prize. She had accepted what happened, dealt with her grief, and moved on. He was secure in his place at her side. 

Something must have shown on his face, though, because her hand reached out to cover his. She said nothing, offered no placation, but the physical touch confirmed what he knew.

“ _Vault Tec_ destroyed my life. And no matter that I've rebuilt....it was wrong. Vault 111,” she murmured, shaking her head, “wasn't the only vault. If the number doesn't give it away,” she chuckled.

Another stretch of silence.

“I want to find them.”

Gage sighed, turned his hand under hers to squeeze, “I don't think they're around anymore.”

“There were other vaults. I looked through the terminals, Gage – they had plans to continue their work. I just...I know there are others. I have to try. Someone has to be held responsible.”

He studied her face. She was calm, focused, not heated or zealous. He trusted this Dani, this solid, cold version. He also knew that she would not be dissuaded. And he wouldn't refuse her, anyway.

“Alright, boss. You know how this works. You point; I shoot. Where do we start?”

Dani swallowed, her eyes flicking away from his face to stare straight ahead. She took a deep breath, “We start at Vault 111.”


	2. It opens at the close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani only knows her way to one Vault to begin her search, and Gage might be more uncomfortable than she is being there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hello angst.
> 
> This chapter was hard to write. For so many reasons. Hopefully it doesn't feel off. 
> 
> I just have been so obsessed with Nate lately. I started a 3rd play through, and I was just devastated when he was shot. Thus all of the Nate stuff. #sorrynotsorry

They had to skirt around Sanctuary. Dani had promised not to touch it, and she would hold to that – not even stepping foot there. So it was that they followed the rusted remains of what she said had been power lines, distributing electricity all over the Commonwealth. She didn't speak much, outside of whispering to warn him before they came across the small Raider band camped under one of the aging metal monstrosities.

The fight was brief. Dani’s fury saw her ripping through them with a knife she said she had acquired from an unusual source during her travels. And he took on those that she didn’t get close enough to. There had been five, and the two of them left none standing. 

They continued on, though slower than Dani usually liked to move. He didn’t comment on the fact.

The compound was on a hill, overlooking the neighborhood where she had lived before the war. Surrounded by a metal fence, it could have been anything. Only the giant metal circle in the ground made it clear it was something other than a standard military checkpoint. That and her reaction.

She stood there for a while, staring at the circle, hands loose at her side, but he could see her fingers twitching.

Gage didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Should he...touch her? He settled on respectful silence, taking a look around the compound.

“I signed their damn form _that day_. Less than an hour before,” she mumbled.

He stepped up next to her when she spoke, still saying nothing.

“I thought it was stupid. And then Shaun was crying. Nate and I went in to check on him. Codsworth started calling us into the living room. I was just annoyed, you know? One thing at a time, I thought.”

She sighed, rubbing her face with her hand, “But the news...Washington DC had already been hit. The sirens started going off,” she stepped closer to the metal circle.

“We ran. Fuck. Everyone did. Nate held Shaun. The rep,” she shook her head, “the one that signed us up, he was at the gate. They wouldn't even let him in.”

She paused again, a bitter chuckle escaping her at the irony of that moment. Gage grunted.

“He was lucky,” she hissed.

Her finger rose, pointing South, “The bomb hit there. We all saw it. The flash, the mushroom cloud, and then the blast came out, toward us. You could...see it. A wave of debris and _terror_ rushing toward us.”

She went silent again, her eyes distant. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes had a sheen on them. Who the fuck could blame her? 

A few moments ticked by; she turned toward a white trailer, “The control is in there.”

Gage cleared his throat, “You sure you don't want me to wait outside?”

Dani shook her head, “No, you don’t have to. But if you're uncomfortable...”

He hesitated only a moment before gripping her bicep and squeezing it gently, “I ain't got anything to worry about down there, boss. I know my place in your life.”

She nodded but said nothing. He trusted her to tell him if she wanted to go alone, so he motioned to the control trailer with his head. It seemed too clean, standing out like a bright sore thumb against the blasted horizon. He pushed the skeleton within to the side and slammed the button with his fist. There was a loud, blaring siren.

“Well, shit,” he muttered, hustling out of the trailer and back to Dani's side much faster than he left it. And if he were a poetic man, he'd look further into that.

The metal platform made a terrible screeching groan, then jerked into motion that had them both stepping unsteadily to regain their balance. Maybe he'd be spared whatever painful awkwardness awaited below when they plummeted to their deaths. Dani had stilled next to him, her posture surprisingly open and relaxed.

“Anything down there I should know about?”

“I took out all the radroaches. Just a bunch of skeletons now,” she added, and the significance of her word choice didn’t escape him.

As jarringly as it started, the lift stopped. They were deep underground - barely any light reached them. A quick look showed that they were caged in. Dani stared at the gate, then stepped forward, but Gage beat her to it. He didn't need to do it for her, he knew that. But there he was, lifting the heavy chain link. It rattled and protested, but he got it up there, and it stayed put.

Dani took a deep breath, rolling her shoulder toward a metal staircase, “This way.”

She didn't pull out a weapon, just started up the stairs.

“You been back here...since?”

“No,” she mumbled, continuing down the walkway.

She was right. Just a bunch of skeletons and some dust. She didn't bother stepping over them, going so far as to kick some of them out of the way. The deeper in they got, the more tense she became, her anger growing – not the hard kind, either, the boiling kind.

Her hand pointed to the left, “The Overseer's office is over there. I'm going to go see what I can find on the terminal.”

Gage wasn't sure what to do. She walked away, and he got the distinct feeling that she was not in the mood for company. He spun in a slow circle then started further into the vault. It was a little cold, but not as cold as he would have expected. Of course, he didn’t know what to expect. He had heard stories of them, but he’d never set foot in one himself. This didn’t seem all that great to him, but maybe the others were different. After all, there weren’t any other prewar knockouts wandering the wastes.

The corridor ended down a small set of stairs, lined on either side with big, metal pods. As he stepped down into the dead end, flashing red lights took over from the faded and sterile illumination in the front. A warning was going off continually, noting that there was a problem with the cryogenic units. He didn’t understand a damn thing that voice said, but he knew it wasn’t good. He looked over his shoulder. Dani wasn't there. He continued on, peering into the first pod on the right.

Inside was a woman, frozen, leaned back and tilted slightly to the right. She was in a bright blue vault suit, blonde hair almost silver with the frost on it. He blinked, moved to the next one – a man, frozen, blue vault suit.

“What the fuck,” he muttered, passing by, quietly studying the occupants of the frozen tombs.

At the fourth pod, he stopped entirely.

The occupant, like the others, was in a bright blue vault suit, but there was a bloom of red and pink in his chest. He wasn't upright like the others, either, slumped to the side, hands halfway down, as if he had been holding something.

Gage studied him. He had dark hair, long enough to brush his eyebrows, though the sides were short. He had broad shoulders, and the muscles of his arms and legs were still obvious through the tight suit.

“Must be Nate,” he said softly, as if the man on the other end wasn't dead, as if they were having a conversation over a couple of beers.

“I gotta say, I like your taste. That came out wrong. I ain't good with words. Dani's told me 'bout you, though. Feel like I know you. You were real good to her...shit, better than I can be, probably. I don't even know why she's stickin' around me,” he muttered.

“I hope you know, she's gonna tear up this wasteland to make these bastards pay. Pay for takin' your boy. Pay for takin' you. Hell, she blew the Institute to shit already. Says they weren’t the real bad guys.”

He shook his head, “Can't say I blame her. She woke up to this hell. Saw you murdered. Frankly I'm surprised it's taken this long.”

He sighed, scratched the stubble on the side of his head, “Look. I ain't you, and I know that, and she knows that. I'm not some replacement. But I want you to know that she's not going into the shit alone, you hear me? She wants a reckoning, and I'll help her get it.”

He felt a little stupid, talking to the frozen corpse of his...what?...boss's husband. Still, it seemed like something that was necessary. Yeah, Nate was dead, but Gage felt he owed some sort of explanation. Dani hadn’t been shy about sharing stories about her dead husband, and why should she? He just needed to reconcile those stories, what he knew about the man, with the frozen corpse in that pod. 

And, hell, maybe he _was_ feeling a little insecure. 

“Aw, hell, I know she wishes you were still with her. I’m gonna do my best by her. And I suppose, if I don’t, you’ll find me wherever it is we end up after all this, and there’ll be another reckoning. Of a different sort. And you’d be right for that, too.”

He looked down the corridor, sighed, “Anyway. The thing is, I guess, and man, I know this is fucked up to say, but thank you. For Dani. I mean, since you aren’t here, it means I get my chance. I ain’t about to waste it.”

He opened his mouth, about to tell Nate more. He closed it, though. If he hadn’t said the words to Dani, he wouldn’t say them to her dead husband. He had said what he needed to. If Nate were here, Gage had to assume he would understand.

Gage pulled his hand down his face, “Losin’ my damn mind, obviously.”

He turned to head back out the corridor and stopped short. Dani stood on the stairs, staring down at him. No, not at him. At the pod he was standing in front of.

Gage cleared his throat, “You been there long, boss?”

She shook her head.

“I’m...sorry. I just…”

She held up a hand, stopping the next words, “It’s ok, Gage. I’m not mad.”

He cleared his throat, swung his rifle over his shoulder to have something to do with his hands, “You alright?”

Her eyes kept moving to the pod and back, “I got a few names. And I found a map that I think has the location of a few other vaults.”

“Where to, boss?”

“We’ll start at Vault 81. I’ve heard of it before and have an idea of where to start. It’s near Diamond City, so we can resupply or whatever we need.”

“I’m with you, boss.”

She looked at him, nodded, “I know.”

She didn’t make a move to leave. He turned slightly to look at the pod next to him, then back to her, “Do you need a minute?”

“I’ve said my goodbyes,” she whispered, though her eyes remained on the pod.

Gage just nodded and started towards her. He wanted to touch her, hold her. But it felt wrong here. He stopped next to her, turned to look down into her eyes. She met them unwaveringly. He studied her for a moment - saw her pain, her fear, her anger...among other things.

“Ok,” he murmured, then held out his hand to allow her to precede him.

She took one last look at the pod where Nate remained, inhaled and exhaled slowly, then turned and led him out of the corridor. 

It wasn’t until they were on the giant lift, heading back up that she collapsed into his arms, and he held her there until she was ready to continue on their path.


	3. Vault-Tec's Failed Experiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Gage find a clue at Vault 81. At least Gage assumes so. The insecurity and argument really overshadow things for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out more angsty that I planned. Probably because of the week I had. 
> 
> Also, I finished this two drinks in, sooooo...anyway.
> 
> Things are going to be getting back to their normal fun, bloody ways in the next chapter. *air jump freeze frame*

There was a camp outside the entrance, so at least they most likely didn't have to worry about being ambushed or stabbed in the back. He felt exposed, still, since Dani had advised he not wear his obvious Raider armor to the vault. She was right, of course, but unless she was pressed against him, as a rule, he wore it.

She had provided him with some chest armor; it wasn't the same, damn it all. To be fair, it was less of an obstacle for her to get close.

A caravan group was huddled around the fire; Dani pulled away from his side to go speak with the trader. It felt fucking bizarre to be so close to a group of people that normally would be riddled with bullet holes by now. Their brahmin was huddled close to the fence, behind which was a solid rock wall. That was smart. Of course, anyone who knew the terrain here would just plant guns on top of that hill. Easy enough to shoot down right between its eyes, then take out the-

Dani's hand on his arm had him turning to look down at her, “Yeah, boss?”

“Stop scoping the place, Gage.”

He grinned, “You know me so well.”

She nodded to the cave entrance, “C'mon. I know how to get in now.”

He gave the caravan one last look before following her into the dark entrance. The light of her Pip Boy made it slightly less dangerous to shuffle around, at least, and there was a clear, artificial light ahead of them. He slid his rifle off his shoulder, holding it loosely in front of him, just in case. Never could be too careful.

Once the cave opened up, the heavy metal vault door came into view, along with a control panel. Dani strode up to it, fiddling with something on her wrist computer and plugging it into the panel. She hit the button. Nothing happened.

She looked over her shoulder at him, just as a voice came over the speaker, “Hold it right there - you’re new here. How’d you come across a Pip Boy?”

Gage snorted, but Dani remained calm, “I’m from Vault 111.”

“Haven’t heard of it.”

“No, I guess you wouldn’t have,” she mused, looking at Gage again and offering a wink.

“Well, we don’t let just anyone in here.”

Her face changed slightly, almost crumpling before she gave a whimpering, “Please. I’m from a Vault, too, and I just…”

Gage bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. He wasn’t even mildly surprised when there was a pause on the other end, then the man’s voice, “Uh, well, I guess…”

“Who is it?” A woman’s voice this time.

“A new traveler, Overseer. Says she’s from another Vault.”

“Well, let me speak to her,” a pause, “sorry about that. Officer Edwards was just doing his job. You understand. Vault 111, you said? I normally don’t allow this, but I’m going to let you in; I want to hear more about your vault.”

“Thank you,” Dani breathed, before turning toward Gage, who could only shake his head in wonderment.

* * *  
Dani was smart to have him change. The people inside the Vault were paranoid. Though, to be fair, it was a valid feeling. Gage couldn’t help drooling a little bit at how easy it would be to just take all these folks for a ride and walk out a hell of a lot richer. That wasn’t the goal of being here, though, and while Dani smiled and smooth-talked her way through the residents here, he could slip away and do his own recon. He didn’t know what the hell he was looking for, but he knew keys or passwords would be better than a gun in the Overboss’s hands.

_The Overboss_ , he grunted internally. She seemed to fit in just fine here, surrounded by old world relics and customs. She blended in, just like the blue of the vault suit she had donned. He fought against the small voice that kept asking, wondering, if maybe she was more comfortable down here. After all, they had clean water, plenty of food, and the customs of the world that she had come from.

He dug his blunt nails into his palm. This was no time to get paranoid or jealous of a bunch of people he could easily wipe off his boots. 

Gage leaned against the wall in the only private place he’d been able to find, the rumbling crackle of the generator the only sound or light in the room. Seemed as good a spot as any to war with his own demons.

Dani was her own woman; she wasn’t beholden to him in any way. He knew that, hell didn’t want that. But then, that was the source of his issue, wasn’t it? Down in this other world, he felt like the outsider, like his way of life was the one out-of-date. She just seemed so comfortable. Was _this_ what she wanted? Maybe more than him?

He dragged his palm over his eyes, willed himself to get his fucking shit together. This was no time to fall into this kind of thinking. Surely, if Dani wanted to live in a vault, she would have done so before she arrived at his doorstep. 

His heart-to-heart with Nate had not helped matters for him. He felt impossibly more insecure afterwards. Nate couldn’t give his blessing because he was fucking dead. There was no coming back from there, right? Dani had shared stories with him; Nate sounded like a stand-up guy. The kind of guy who would do well in a place like this. 

Gage chewed the inside of his cheek. He was deep down the path of these thoughts when sound above alerted him to company. He quickly moved to the shadows, then blinked rapidly at what happened next before taking the stairs back up, two at a time, to find the boss.

* * *  
Fucking molerats. He knew better, of course, because nothing with the Overboss was ever easy. For the most part, they at least seemed like normal, grotesque, giant, biting molerats. So there was that, at least. There were just so damn many of them.

After the shining metal of the rest of the Vault, this seemed more appropriate, based on what he saw in the boss’s. This felt more manipulative, more ominous...frankly, more Vault-Tec.

Dani stood, leaned over her sledgehammer, sucking in breaths after finishing the last of an ambush, “How did you find this shithole again?”

Gage chuckled, checking his ammunition, “I was in the generator room and saw this skinny-ass kid kick on that wall, disappear in the door and then come back out. Seemed like something I should bring to your attention.”

She snorted, “Good call, baby.”

Gage blinked at the pet name. She hadn’t used it in a while. Not that he particularly minded; she could call him whatever the hell she wanted, but it was kind of good to hear it. He shrugged - just doing his job.

“Do me a favor,” she nodded toward a room to her left with a window and a button on the wall, “press that.”

He did as she asked, and blinked, as a conversation between two people came through a speaker.   
She didn’t seem so surprised, “They had the entire vault under surveillance. So,” she muttered, now more to herself, “what were you bastards planning here?”

* * *  
Gage had almost shot the robot. To be fair, his previous experience with the things involved them shooting and trying to slice through him. How was he supposed to know that some of them weren’t bloodthirsty monsters?

His gun was up and aimed, and Dani stepping in front of him was the only thing that stayed his finger - barely. He was livid. What if he had been unable to stop? She shouldn’t be pulling shit like that. Did she want to die? What made him the most angry was the thought that maybe a part of her did.

“She might be able to help,” Dani hissed at him, and he couldn’t help the glare, which was met with a much harder one from her.

Gage dropped his gun, stepped back, and rubbed furiously at his face. He would bring it up with her later, when there wasn’t a fucking robot floating around them.

“I hope zat everything is alright,” the chipper voice continued.

“It’s fine,” Dani said smoothly, then smiled, “so what’s a shiny metal thing like you doing in a place like this?”

The robot giggled, and from there, it was about five minutes before Dani had access to the terminal in the far room and a list of other places for them to check. Efficient and effective as ever.

She even freed the robot.  
* * *  
For her efforts, Dani had been given a private room in the Vault. That was good because it probably muffled their heated conversation.

“You know how important this is, Gage,” Dani paced.

“Yeah, boss, I know. I also know that most of those damn robots are out to shoot you. As you may recall from our time in Nuka Galaxy.”

She stopped pacing, hands on her hips, “This isn’t Nuka Galaxy. Don’t act so fucking coy.”

“Who the fuck is acting coy? My job is to keep your ass alive.”

“Oh, it’s your job?”

“Damn it all to hell, Dani, you know it’s not just that. Shit, you almost seemed disappointed when I didn’t pull the trigger.”

“ _What?_ ”

Gage pinched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he has misread the situation. She was certainly acting like he had, “I don’t know, boss. There was adrenaline and a lot of shit going on, and I act on instinct. You know that. Any other time, we wouldn’t be having this pleasant chat right now.”

“I _have_ to find those vaults.”

“I understand that.”

“And Curie was key to that happening.”

“I’m not arguing - fuck, Dani, would you just listen to me? I know that shooting the damn robot was the wrong move. I didn’t shoot her! So what is the problem?”

Dani threw her hands up in the air, “Your rashness is the problem! I can’t have you shooting at everything we come across, especially if it might be useful.”

Gage was fighting to keep his voice calm, his fingers curled tightly, “Well, how would you like me to proceed the next time?”

Dani went silent for a moment, and panic hit him. She was going to tell him to wait out the next few rounds. He knew it. This was her fight, and she wanted to do it alone. He took a deep breath, preparing himself.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled, sinking onto the mattress, “I don’t know. Maybe...”

She trailed off. He fell heavily into a chair on the other side of the room, waiting for his sentence. If she was going to tear down a path of self-destruction, that was the one way he couldn’t follow her. He had made that clear from the beginning. 

“Dani,” he started, knowing that he might be sealing his fate, “I told you before that too often people like us try to go too fast. You remember that?”

She nodded, wouldn’t look at him.

“They try to get everything all at once, and they wind up dead. Dead as fucking dead can be. Because shit don’t come to folk as soon as they want it. The world never worked that way. You know that.”

She looked up now, and there was still anger in her eyes, but maybe he was getting through to her.

“This ain’t you. And if you can’t be you…” he trailed off. He was offering her an open door to send him away. He was giving her an ultimatum. He would follow her to the ends of the Earth, but he wouldn’t watch her commit suicide by stupidity.

Dani stared at her hands for a moment. She took a deep breath, “You’re right. Fuck. It was stupid to step in front of your gun, but I know you’re fast enough. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. I won’t pull that shit again.”

Gage already regretted his next question, “Dani, are you sure you’re alright?”

She took a deep breath, nodded slowly.

“I can’t keep asking,” he offered, as a last resort.

“I want to find someone responsible. And I can’t do that if I’m blinded by rage. I know that. It was just, seeing him there,” she sighed, “brought it all back, all that rage. When I first came out, when I was going after Kellogg, I was out for blood. And it fucking rained, Gage. It wasn’t until later that I found that cold place again.”

He let her continue.

“I guess I just got caught up. But you’re right. As usual,” she sighed, then grinned, “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Alright, boss. Long as you don’t go pulling another stunt like that,” he stood, stretched.

“You coming to bed?”

He sighed, “In a bit.”

Dani frowned at that, “You still upset?”

He chuckled, “Nah. We’re solid. Just gotta take a leak.”

He was halfway out the door, when she called after him, “Hey.”

He turned.

“You and me, Gage.”

“You and me.”


	4. The Overseer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find Vault 88, and it's the break they've been looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while. Stuff, life, yadda, yadda. I had this idea, and I outlined it, and now when I go back, my notes don't make sense anymore. So I'm trying to piece it back together into what I thought this was going to be.
> 
> Anyway. Chapter 4!

“She knows about the other ones,” Dani had pointed out.

Gage still thought it was unnecessary to drag the robot along. Damn nosy thing that it was, always wanting to stop at other places and do “research.” On what? There was nothing left, for fuck's sake. While the old world may have gotten a lot of things wrong, they certainly knew how to blow each other to shit and leave not a thing worthwhile left standing.

He was grumpy. He didn't really believe that. There was plenty of shit that people would pay for still, but the chipper robot was grating on him. Even as she led them inexorably through vaults.

First had been the one where Dani said she had met Nick Valentine. She had to save him in order to get his help finding Kellogg, the bastard who had murdered her husband. Nick was well known, even in Raider circles, and he was respected. He hadn't known that Dani knew him until she was bent over a terminal, typing away and recounting her last visit.

Then they had gone to the blown out remains of a school, underneath which had been another disgusting display of Vault-Tec's power. They had been churning out scientists and fighters, culling a herd of children. The place had been infested with Gunners, and Gage suspected – though he said nothing – that they originated here.

There wasn't much information, just a few scientist names. Those Dani wrote down, and Gage promptly forgot. 

The next vault was also overrun with Gunners. Those sons of bitches really knew how to find solid ground and keep it; Gage had to hand it to them. That one had been even worse. According to what Dani found, told him, and what he'd put together from wandering through, they had put a bunch of drug addicts in here, helped them get clean, then exposed them to drugs again somehow. If there was real evil in the world, it could be found in Vault-Tec, obviously.

Based on how they found the skeletons, it had been a blood bath. It had also happened a long time ago.

Dani became more withdrawn when they were underground. He knew why. She was hoping to find more, hoping to find another survivor maybe. More likely, she was hoping to find the boogeyman. Boogey _men_. But they were long gone. 

The Overboss was a woman of action. She wanted to tear through enemies, leaving a bloody path in her wake. But skeletons don't bleed and ghosts even less. 

These thoughts were swirling through him, as he sat over the fire tucked inside a cave, where Dani slept fitfully behind him. He poked at the embers with a stick, scowling at the memories and his inability to help.

His frown deepened when the chipper, strangely accented voice (Dani had called it French) spoke up, “You love her, no?”

“Keep your voice down,” he scolded, looking over his shoulder. Dani didn't wake, thankfully.

“Ah, yes. You do.”

“I hate that word,” he spat.

“But you do not deny it.”

“If you gotta call it something, fine.”

If the white orb floating nearby could smile, he imagined it would be – smug as anything, just waiting for his hand to wipe it off. But Dani had made it clear that they needed this damn thing, and she was the Overboss.

“You are unhappy with searching ze vaults. You do not think that there is anything of use in zem?”

“She ain't looking for useful. You better get that through your head. She's looking for information and vengeance. She's looking for the bastards she can punish for doing this to her. Leaving everyone she knew to die, leaving her to die, but not finishing the job.”

Curie went silent for a moment, floating toward Dani in what Gage had to assume was concern.

“Let her sleep,” he grumbled.

“She does not wish to be here, is angry, and yet you stay with her?”

Gage bristled. His emotions were nobody's business – hell, not even his own. He made the decision to stick by Dani; she had proven herself trustworthy. Yes, he would go down protecting her, if that's what it took, but it wasn't anybody's fucking business. Certainly not a damn robot. And it wasn't his business to poke and prod at Dani's feelings, either. 

This whole damn trip had been trying him – trying whatever bond they shared. She had called it a reckoning, and Gage was just holding on tight, not admitting to his fear that whatever was between them wouldn't survive the coming weeks or months.

He glared at the robot.

“Oh, dear, I seem to have made you angry.”

“Just get her to this last vault, and then I'll take care of the rest, you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He turned to Dani, made sure she was still asleep, then settled down nearby to catch a few winks himself.  
  


* * *

Commonwealth raiders were easy to get in line. The first few were mowed down before Dani's voice echoed across the quarry.

“Some of you sons of bitches may have heard of our little paradise in Nuka World. This is a one time offer. I am Overboss, and if you are good boys and girls, you can join us, become part of the Pack or earn your way into being an Operator. Alternatively, you can die at the end of my hammer or at the end of his gun, and that's as far as you will get.”

Gage saw a few faces poke out, held his gun up in case some of them were stupid instead of curious.

“Some of you might be thinking,” she continued, “that you are better or tougher than me. You are wrong. You are just stupid. So choose now; are you smart, or are you dumb?”

Most of the band came out, hands up, asking questions. Those that didn't were shot by their own, in order for those with a solid thought in their heads to prove themselves worthy. 

Dani was fucking amazing, and he would never stop being in awe of her.

With the raiders cleared out, the radiation was the only obstacle in their way to Vault 88. Popping some Rad-X, they wound through the makeshift buildings and hallways, collecting bullets and caps that were left, until they found a cave that led them straight to the heavy vault door. The voice reverberating through the cavern sounded hoarse, but it was loud and drowned any sounds that their party may have made upon entrance.

Dani didn't bother giving the three within an option. She spotted them, turned to Gage and nodded to his gun, “Can I borrow?”

He handed it over, and she took them out one-by-one without them ever catching sight of her.

When she handed it back, her fingers brushed his, and she turned her eyes up to him. She said nothing, but she may as well have punched him in the gut, the feeling of her gaze on his again so strong. He hadn't realized she had been avoiding it until that moment, and he was loathe to look away.

But this was potentially the last stop. If they didn't find more here, then they were stuck. He had a strong suspicion that being stuck meant that she would pull away. They'd better find something.

He had seen this before – the pip-boy used as a master key, and just like last time, they were interrupted.

“Whoever you are,” the gravelly voice intoned, “stop!”

Dani did not.

A siren started, and the awful creaking of a metal door that had been shut for hundreds of years surrounded them before the voice continued, “What? You have a pip-boy? Wait. Are you Vault-Tec? Have you finally come to save me?”

Gage arched an eyebrow at the Overboss. He enjoyed watching her roll with the punches, especially when situations called for her to play a part. She was so good at it. Maybe that should concern him, but it didn't. 

But the voice – he decided now it had to be from a ghoul – just kept going, “Please. I'm trapped behind a mountain of rubble. The only way to remove it is to get the workshop operational.”

“What the hell is this person on about?” he muttered, rifle slung over his arm while they waited for the door to catch up with them.

When it did, the woman, or at least what he assumed was a woman, was still talking. Something about a reactor and a lock down. He wasn't paying much attention, since the bridge into the vault led to a couple of feral ghouls. He put them down easily enough, as Dani made her way slowly down the hallway.

At least, he wasn't paying attention at first. Not until she started talking about keeping faith and dropped a name. A name that had Dani turning to him with something like a gasp.

A name that distracted her enough that she wasn't paying attention to their surroundings, that the ghoul running at her, all gnashing teeth and rotting flesh, wasn't a blip on the radar. It wasn't until the shot rang out, the bullet racing past her to bury itself and its accompanying mini explosion in the thing's forehead, that she blinked and turned, swinging her sledgehammer into the falling corpse.

There were a relatively small number of ghouls left, and those were dealt with harshly.

When they were inside the control room, Gage grabbed Dani by the arm, “What is it? What did she say?”

“She mentioned a name – Dr. Braun. I recognize that name,” she turned her eyes from Gage to the robot.

“Doctor Stanislaus Braun was one of the science directors at Vault-Tec,” it offered cheerfully.

But that cheeriness was met with rage in Dani's face, “He was a German scientist. He worked with the Army on projects around life conservation.”

Gage blinked rapidly, taking in the information. If this scientist had been around before the war, it was likely he was dead. Then again, Dani should be, too, not to mention any number of ghouls that still roamed the world. More than that, if what she was saying was correct, it was possible that he had perfected whatever technology had been used to preserve her.

“We have to get in there,” she grabbed the front of his chest armor, tugging him down to look at her. He just nodded. Of course. He would get her in there.

She turned to the robot, “You should go.”

“Oh, but I would love to see another vault!”

Gage turned to the robot as well, weapon raised, “She said go. I think you should listen.”

“Oh, my! Such rude companions!”

Despite her protestations, the robot did as Dani requested and started back the way they had come. No doubt she would return, but Gage knew that she would find nothing but corpses.

“Let's go,” Dani said to him, typing out commands on the terminal before walking back out the door and motioning for him to follow.

  


* * *

“Where is Dr. Braun?”

Dani was sitting patiently across from the woman, the overseer she called herself, of Vault 88, who was suspended by her arms from the tower in the unfinished atrium.

Her eyes rolled up to look at the Overboss, “I told you, I don't know. That was hundreds of years ago.”

“Then where _was_ he, if you insist on semantics?”

Gage lit a cigarette, watching through the haze of smoke as Dani stood, approaching the woman and getting closer than he ever could. Not all ghouls stank of death, but this one did, and she was showing some real balls standing that close. Or at the very least a stomach made of iron.

“I never met him,” she shrugged, or at least attempted to.

Dani's voice didn't raise, but it sent shivers through his spine, “I didn't ask if you've met him. I didn't ask if you ever sucked his cock. I didn't ask you a damn thing except where the fuck he was.”

“D.C.”

“He was in Washington? You know that for sure?”

“That's where headquarters was,” she explained, “and that's where he worked. I heard,” she trailed off, shaking her head.

“They're probably all dead, lady,” Gage offered.

“That wouldn't make it any less a betrayal.”

Gage chuckled, “I was just tryin' to help.”

“What could you possibly do to me? You see what I've become.”

Dani laughed, grabbed the woman's arm to hold herself up, as she almost doubled over with mirth. Gage saw the woman shudder. Probably the smartest thing she had done to date.

“I'm not going to threaten you. Or hurt you. I'll just let you live. Here. Forever. Alone,” she smiled, gazing into the ghoul's eyes. Silence stretched, as she let the woman consider that. 

Finally Dani clapped her on the back, “Alternatively, you could tell me everything I need to know, and who knows? Maybe you'll get to meet Dr. Braun, too!”

“As if he's alive,” she spat.

Gage pointed at Dani, “She's from before the war. So are you. You really think Dr. Braun would be stupid enough to die in the war?”

She glared daggers at him, but it was because he was right.

And so she talked.


	5. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Gage have to get to the Capital Wasteland...and someone has to take them. But who?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back in the groove now, and I'm diggin' this whole...third wheel thing.

“You ever been to the capital wasteland?”

Dani studied him over the smoke rolling out from her lips – lips that he wanted to stroke with his thumb and consume with his own. He grunted, shook his head.

“Nah. Word is it's covered in green skins, and it never seemed worthwhile. Hell, I ran with a few gangs that'd head up that way to cut off the caravans that came through, but that's as close as I ever got.”

He watched her tug at the tendrils of her hair, something she did when she was thinking about doing something she didn't want to do. He knew so many of her tells now. If he weren't loyal as a damn dog to her, he'd like to try his hand at taking her for all she was worth at poker. Maybe other arrangements could be made.

“I know at least two people who have been there,” she started, “and I don't know who will be the hardest to ask.”

Gage shrugged, “We need a guide? I mean, there are still signs out there.”

Dani grinned at him, “I know you and me could get there just fine. But I'm wondering if maybe either of them know about the vaults up there.”

He said nothing, just nodded, and went back to his own study – her bottom lip trapped by her teeth, fingers wrapped around a blue-green lock of hair, chest rising steadily with her breath, and just a hint of cleavage. He shook his head, “Fuck, you are sexy as hell when you're thinkin', boss.”

She winked at him, then stretched, “You curious about the options?”

Resigned that he wouldn't get anywhere with her until her mind was made up, he sat back and lit his own cigarette, “I could guess at least one of them.”

“Who?”

“That blimp-flyin' fucker. Wazzisname? Maxson.”

Her lip twitched up, but she managed to keep a mostly straight face, “Yes, Blimpflyin' Fucker Maxson is one of them.”

He grumbled to cover his own laugh, “And who's the other?”

Dani paused, flicked ash off of her cigarette before taking another short puff, “Guy named MacCready. Hired gun out of Goodneighbor that ran with me for a while.”

“I'm no expert, boss, but sounds to me that the hired gun would be the more appropriate choice.”

A groan escaped her that was near sinful, as she shook her head and buried her face in her hands. She stilled for a time, and he watched her cigarette slowly burn down and fall to ash at her feet. He finished his. 

They were holed up in the heart of Boston, in a surprisingly intact house that Dani had found and secured from a small group of Gunners once upon a time. She had nabbed the key from one of them, so it was usually empty when they arrived. Today had been no exception. He noticed with passing interest that what light had been left upon their arrival was now gone.

“Fuck me, I really don't which is worse.”

“Well I can arrange for your request,” he offered immediately.

She grinned, “You're insatiable, Gage.”

“Yeah?”

“Figure out who our escort will be, then you can pound me into the wall.”

He sighed, pushed himself to the edge of the sunken couch, and leaned his elbows on his knees, “So what's the deal with the Brotherhood, anyway? You're a real big shot with them, right Sentinel?”

She scowled at his teasing, “Yeah, but...I don't know.”

“They have a thing against Raiders, probably. Sure. But I'm betting they got a hard-on for revenge and righteousness and shit. They got a shitload of guns. And I saw the way you talked with that guy; he respects you.”

Dani pushed hair out of her face, “All of that is true. They are also bigoted. They have a lot of expectations. And they live in, basically, Army bases. How much exposure would they have to Vaults?”

Gage shrugged, “They collect old technology and shit, right? Alright, forget them for a minute. What about this MacCready guy?”

She exhaled slowly, “RJ,” she started, and Gage arched an eyebrow, “MacCready was a Gunner. But he didn't like their style – too ruthless, too bloodthirsty. Anyway. He abandoned post, started hiring himself out. He was good to have at my back. Great sniper. I helped him blast away the Gunners that had recruited him...the fuck were their names? Winlock and Barnes? Dead now. Guess it doesn't matter.”

Gage rolled his shoulders and sat up straight again, “So what's the problem?”

“He's got a kid, Gage. With some weird disease. He was looking for the cure, said he thought he knew where it was. But about that time...well, we parted ways. I don't know how happy he'll be to see me, if I show up again.”

“Okay,” he held out his hands, both palms up, lifting his right one slightly higher, “so on the one hand, we got a bunch of assholes with a lot of guns and army bases. And on the other,” he lifted his left hand, “we got some kid Gunner who wants to find a cure for his own kid. I don't see the toss up here.”

Dani snorted, “MacCready has more morally gray areas. He also grew up in the Wasteland. Had to fend for himself. And I suspect if I found that cure he was looking for, he'd take us there in a heartbeat.”

“And your Brotherhood friends?”

“I convinced Maxson to go back anyway. We'd have a base of operations. Who knows? They might have more intel there. They seemed to know a lot about the Institute.”

Gage nodded along with her reasoning, “And is there something I'm missing? Some reason these options are mutually exclusive?”

Dani blinked. She opened her mouth, closed it again, then studied Gage for a moment. There were times when he appreciated her careful gaze, her ability to dissect something or someone with only her eyes, as if she could see through them, see what made them, all the parts that made up the whole. The slight glint of surprise made this one of those times.

“I ain't dumb, boss.”

“No, Gage,” she smiled, “you're not. I know that. You're too damn smart, actually.”

“Should probably not let that get out, huh?”

“Come here,” she murmured, beckoning with her forefinger.

He hoped it wasn't entirely obvious that he basically sprung up like a puppy at her invitation – her command. Figuratively and literally.

As much as possible, though, he slowed and controlled his movement, standing and stalking toward her. When he was close enough, he reached out, fingers curling at the top of her neck, bending her head back and leaning down to kiss her deeply, hungrily. She practically purred beneath him, and he grunted in response, using his grip to tug her up to near standing.

She about giggled when he swapped their places, flopping down on the chair where she had been sitting and pulling her down on top of him. He grinned at her, planting another softer kiss on her, trailing his fingertips over her back, “You like smart guys, huh?”

She smiled, kissed him, tugging gently on his bottom lip, “I like _a_ smart guy.”

He had stripped her slowly, methodically, had her pressed into the cushions of the couch, ready to push into her when she sighed, “MacCready.”

He blinked, “What?”

“I think I'll have MacCready take us. But I'll have Maxson prep the Brotherhood for our arrival, too. Like you said, they're not mutually exclusive options.”

He blinked again, his mind trying to marry their earlier conversation and the head of his dick that was wet from her juices while also keeping them distinct, “You got some bad timing here, boss.”

She laughed, “I just...ugh. Shut up and fuck me, Gage.”

He obliged.


	6. The Overboss and her Merry Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Gage prep the gangs of Nuka World for her departure. And they hang up a sheet. This got away from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea about Dani hanging up a sheet at the Fizztop to create some privacy for the bed up there. And then it took up like half the chapter? I don't know. I'm too lazy to take it out.

To say that he was concerned about leaving two Raider gangs to their own devices while he followed the boss on a couple month long adventure was an understatement. It felt too soon after Dani had become Overboss. She had come in big and strong, made a bunch of important strides, but it hadn't been a year yet. And while Mason and Mags weren't Nisha, they weren't best friends, either.

Gage wouldn't go against the Overboss, much less Dani. So it was he found himself gathering the parties in question at the cleaned up Fizztop Grille for what she was calling a meeting of the families. Least that's what it sounded like she said, between fits of giggles.

He nodded briefly to the Operator outside of the Parlor before heading inside, lighting a cigarette. The typical sounds surrounded him, including the soft bickering between Mags and William. He wondered for a second whether or not Dani had been right – they seemed awful close, even for siblings. Now wasn't the time to postulate, though.

“Mags, William,” he offered, coming to a stop by their normal table.

Mags smiled, “Gage. How nice of you to stop by. What brings you to our little corner of the world?”

She was always flirting. He wondered if she knew any other way of talking. 

“Overboss would like to invite the pair of you to dinner at the Fizztop tonight.”

William looked up from his beer, “Pardon?”

“You heard me,” Gage grumbled, “Tonight after first watch.”

Mags's hand settled on her brother's shoulder, “We'll be there. Thank you.”

Gage nodded and turned to head out. He could practically feel the curiosity following him out the door. They would come up with any number of reasons she might be asking them to join her. They'd never guess it, really, of course, but it was fun to imagine what ideas they might have.

At least, regardless of their presumptions, the Black siblings would be on their best behavior. They knew how to attend a dinner, how to act like civilized fucking people. Mason was another story, though Dani seemed to be able to leash him with relative ease. Gage didn't appreciate her methods of doing so, but he couldn't say it didn't work.

These thoughts accompanied him to the Pack's base, and he walked in giving a minor salute to the guard dog out front.

The place was always too loud for his tastes – the snarling of dogs, the shrill squeals of the molerats, and the constant shouting of Pack members. At least they were aptly named. Gage was, frankly, surprised that the Pack hadn't turned against the Overboss. Overall, they had been treated with the same courtesy as the Disciples, getting two parks instead of one. But Dani had chosen the Operators to run all bases outside the walls, and that had apparently been a step too far for Nisha.

Mason sat on his throne, one of the female members of his tribe between his legs, head on his thigh and eyes on his crotch. 

For fuck's sake, Gage thought. Of course, he had zero room for judgment, come to think of it. 

“Gage,” Mason called out, jovial as usual, “what an unexpected visit! Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Word is you just came from the Parlor.”

Gage grunted. He wasn't about to explain to the man why it was more efficient to stop at the Parlor first. Instead, he gestured out the gate, “Overboss would like for you to join her at Fizztop for dinner tonight.”

The leer on Mason's face was just asking for Gage to wipe it the fuck off, but he didn't move.

“The Overboss wants me to join her for dinner?”

“You, Mags, and William,” he nodded, not letting it show how delighted he was to see Mason frown at the extra information.

“So something important, then,” the Pack leader mumbled, his hand distractedly winding through the woman's hair.

“Tonight after first watch,” Gage offered as confirmation, “see you then.”

He turned and headed back out, making his way back to the Grill where Dani would be waiting. She had been anxious to leave, to recruit their guide and get going. It took Gage offering to go to Med-Tech to grab what she thought would sway this MacCready guy to get her to return to Nuka World long enough to set the rules.

The gangs were playing nice, but it was important they know that she'd be back. That there'd be hell to pay if things weren't running like clockwork when she did return.

He got in that morning, waving the vial of medicine at her, and she had jumped him almost immediately. Said vial almost didn't survive, but he managed to place it on the counter before wrapping his hands around her thighs and, with some careful maneuvering on her part to move or remove clothing, pounded her into the wall.

When she had caught her breath and slid down the wall, helping him zip himself back up, she grinned, “I got one more thing I need you to do, baby. Go invite the bosses here for dinner. Then come back, and we'll do this all proper and shit.”

So he was excited to get back. There was a time, when they first got together, that he was embarrassed about his penchant for asking how fucking high when she said jump. But he didn't care so much these days. They had a good thing going. Dani was hot as hell and, for some unknown reason, was totally into him. The rest of it he didn't like to put words to. No point. He would stick with her, and that was enough.

He stepped off the lift to find the Overboss standing precariously on a chair, blindly hammering into the ceiling above her, “What in the hell?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, and time slowed, as the chair wobbled, she lost her footing, and started to fall. Gage took two leaping strides to catch her just before she hit the ground, though it was awkward and probably painful for her, his hands managing to just grab her forearms, so her torso jolted just before impact.

“Ugh,” she groaned.

“What the hell, boss,” he reprimanded, hefting her up to her feet, scanning her for any permanent damage. 

It was only then he noticed the sheet that was half hanging from the ceiling.

“I was just trying to create some privacy,” she grunted, flopping unceremoniously into the chair nearby.

He knew it was the wrong response, but he couldn't help it. He tried to cover it, managed to dim it down to a chuckle, but it became laughter, bubbling up from some pool of amusement within him that hadn't been beaten out. She watched him like she might watch an alien who had just put on a Gage suit, but he just shook his head, “Boss, what the hell can they say to you? They know there's a bed here.”

She shrugged, “It's my bed. I don't want them seeing it.”

He pulled himself together, though still shook his head, as he wandered back toward the interior, “I got a ladder, ya weirdo.”

He heard her following behind him, “What? Where?”

Apparently, despite the boss's penchant for finding ways into places she wasn't supposed to be, she hadn't spent time exploring her own digs. He pushed open one of the bathroom doors, exposing a rusted old ladder.

She scoffed behind him, “Gage, how the fuck is that safer than the chair?”

“It's meant to balance, for one,” he muttered, grabbing the ladder and brushing past her, “and second, you ain't going up it, I am.”

It took him all of three minutes to set up the ladder and hammer the damn sheet in place where she wanted it. And it was about a minute after that that his mind caught up to him, wondering what exactly the fuck just happened. Why had he hammered a fucking sheet into the ceiling? When had he ever done this much domestic bullshit? What had Dani done to him?

To be fair, five minutes after that, when her fingers were wrapped around his cock and her lips were leaving marks on his chest, he didn't so much care about the answer to those questions. He forgot about them completely when she sat on top of him, riding him into the mattress that was now, sensibly, hidden behind a sheet hanging from the ceiling.

When the three gang bosses arrived, none of them even noticed the damn thing.

Whiskey was poured and passed around, and a selection of fruit and jerky was available, though no one touched it at first.

“I'm going to cut to the chase,” Dani started, then shrugged, “because frankly I don't feel like wasting my time.”

Mags grinned. Mason nodded. William leaned back in his chair. The trio had learned how Dani operated, come to respect it, even, and certainly to expect nothing less than brutal honesty.

“I have business I need to attend to, and it means I'll be away for a while.”

The three bosses exchanged glances, then looked at Gage.

“Gage is coming with me,” she clarified, “so that will leave the three of you in charge. We have all the parks, we have the outposts, and there is plenty to keep everyone busy. What I don't expect to come back to is a fucking gang war or to find out that one of your dumb asses thought it'd be a good idea to overthrow me.”

William looked at Mags, “We can play nice.”

“You can and you will,” Dani nodded, “because so help me if I come back to a shit show, William. Mason,” she practically barked the man's name, though she didn't turn to look at him. 

“Boss?”

“I want the Pack to be responsible for running supplies back and forth. That means any caravans are yours.”

Before Mags or William could argue, she held up a finger, “I want the Operators working on the trade we've got going. Our legitimate business endeavors are bringing in far more caps, and I want that to continue to be the case.”

There was no argument, just quiet sipping. Gage could practically hear the plans to outgun or outmaneuver the other gang.

“Shank will be keeping an eye on things, just in case because I'm not fucking stupid. Stop thinking of ways to screw each other over and start thinking of ways to impress the hell outta me when I get back. Are you going to give me any reason to regret this?”

Her face was calm, her eyes meeting each of theirs in turn.

Mags shook her head, “You've proven yourself to us. It's not profitable to break off on our own at this point. If you don't mind my asking, where are you going?”

“I'm going to destroy what's left of Vault-Tec. Any other questions?”


	7. Journey to the center of the shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Gage recruit the younger MacCready as a guide and head out to the Capital Wasteland! (aka - time for me to update the tags)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNo is coming up so fast. I want to try and finish this before then. Also, I had this all planned out, but now I'm just kind of making it up as I go along, mostly from memory of game play. This will lead to disaster. Which I will disguise with smut, probably. So win/win?

Gage was descending the stairs into the Third Rail when Dani finally looked a little nervous.

“He's a good shot. He may not be super pleased to see me. Just...you know, be aware.”

“What the hell happened between the two of you?”

Dani shrugged, waved away his question and said nothing. That was always a great sign – when the most honest, no-filter-between-brain-and-mouth person he knew chose not to divulge information. He dragged his palm over his face and chose to see how it all played out.

She led him into a hallway, under a VIP sign, taking a deep, calming breath. He heard her whisper something to herself, maybe “no time like the present,” before she stepped into the room. 

He stepped into the room in time to see a skinny young man scowl, “The fuck are you doing here?”

Gage saw the man's hand twitch toward his gun. The boss must've noticed too because she reached into her pocket and held up the vial that he had acquired from that hospital, “Mac, look, I...this is for you.”

MacCready's eyes stared disbelieving at the vial, “How do I know this is what I think it is?”

Dani frowned, “Oh, come on, Mac. You might be sore about how things went down, but you know I'm not evil, and I'm sure as hell not stupid.”

He glared at her again, though it was softer, “When did you get this?”

Dani nodded at Gage over her shoulder, “He did it.”

It felt awkward in the room, and Gage had his suspicions about what had brewed the anger between them. He stepped forward, “Name's Gage,” he huffed.

The man, to his credit, turned, “Gage. MacCready. If this is -”

“It is.”

MacCready nodded, “Then thank you.”

He turned back to Dani, who spread her arms, “I told you I wouldn't forget. I just couldn't...”

“I have to get this to Duncan.”

MacCready started to slide past them, to head out to who-knows-where, but Dani's hand on his elbow stopped him in his tracks. She hadn't even pulled. Gage's eyes were glued to that contact. He had definitely called it. Mac had a thing for the boss. Well, get in line, he thought.

“Mac, listen. There's something else.”

He stiffened, “Of fu-...course there is! I knew it. I _knew_ it. You couldn't just come in here and want to give this to me, to make up for the shi-stuff you pulled before. Fine. Fine, Dani. What do you want?”

She didn't even flinch at his tone, “Mac, stop overreacting. I need to get to the Capital Wasteland. I know that's where Duncan is, so you can take that damn medicine yourself, right to the door of wherever he's staying. All I'm asking is that you do that and let us tag along.”

MacCready's face screwed into something like confusion and dread, “What? No. I'm going to send this to him.”

“Excuse me?”

The edge of steel in Dani's tone made Gage's blood run cold. MacCready had answered in the worst possible way. The man stepped back, his mouth open and closing, though he had no rebuttle.

“Bullshit, RJ. You're taking this cure directly to your son. Don't feed me any lines, either. I know you. It's easy to run away from your problems. I get it. Every time you look at Duncan, you see Lucy. But he doesn't understand that. You have a responsibility, and it isn't hanging around Charlie Whitechapel's bar, raking in caps to send home. It's in the Capital Wasteland _with your son_. Grow a fucking pair, and let's move out.”

Only Dani could knock someone flat on their ass while simultaneously lifting them up. He shook his head and looked down to hide his grin because he already saw in the kid's face that he was going to do what she said. She knew it, too. She turned, grabbed a bag and started shoving things into it, including the vial, which she nearly ripped from his hand before wrapping it safely and securely.

He took the bag when she offered it to him, and sighed, “Alright, listen up, here's what you need to know about the road from here to the Capital.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

His back pressed hard against the concrete slab, taking peaks when there was a break in the fire and debris flying over his head. There were so many damn green skins here. He had heard the rumors like everyone else, but he thought it was all conjecture. And sure, they had been flushed out of the city proper – such as it was – but they had all moved North or South from there, out onto the road to await those dumb enough to travel towards what was left of DC.

Dani was on the other side of the road, and she was grinning like a madwoman, reloading her one sidearm – because no matter how many times he suggested she get some more firepower, she would just drum her fingers on his cheek and pat her melee death-dealer of the month affectionately. To be fair, the 10mm pistol she now turned back on the super mutants had been modded to shit. He wasn't sure it still qualified as a 10mm. Except, to be fair, that was still the ammunition it used.

He also had to hand it to that MacCready kid – he was good with a sniper rifle. 

In the thirty seconds it took for him to consider that, Dani was on the move again, sidearm holstered, scrambling out from cover, ducked low, and running toward one of the last green skins left standing, bringing her barbed-wire-wrapped bat around and swinging hard into its neck. It grunted and stepped back. She swung again. And again. It fell, just as its companion neared, but that one, too, fell back unceremoniously, the back of its head disintegrating into a red mist, as the sniper bullet exited.

The boss leaned on her bat, took a few deep breaths, “Well, shit. Mac, are we even getting close?”

Their young companion came swinging down from the crumbling remains that he had climbed up, “Absolutely. I'd say we have about two days left.”

Two days sounded like a fucking eternity to Gage. He had no illusions about the distance between his home in the Commonwealth and the Capital Wasteland, but it was nearing on a month now of being on the road. Sure, there was novelty in getting to bang Dani in slightly different versions of destroyed buildings of yesteryear, but they also had this third wheel tagging along. Third wheel that was admittedly handy to have in a fight.

They were running low on supplies, too. They had crossed paths with a few caravans. MacCready wasn't into the pillage and burn tactic, but he had some nimble and quiet fingers, so Dani made compromises. Caravans were left unharmed, though slightly lighter. Not that Gage needed to look far for a fight. Toss a stone, and you'd likely hit something that wanted him dead – ferals, dumbass Raiders, Gunners, green skins, molerats, mutated what-have-you's, wild dogs, attack dogs, radstags, a handful of yao guai, and even a deathclaw.

 _Fuck_ , he felt old. Watching MacCready's spry, young self hopping around over debris and buildings made him feel his age. The fact that he'd lasted this long was probably a miracle in itself. And while Dani wasn't a spring chicken, not much younger than himself, she'd spent most of that time in a different world, where age didn't start becoming a problem so soon. Well, so to speak. He still wasn't sure if the two centuries of being frozen counted toward her age or not. If so, she was hotter than hell to be so damn fine at her age.

Two days, he thought. Can do anything for two days. And then we can see what we find on Vault-Tec. His biggest fear was that they'd find nothing, no sign of this Dr. Braun that Dani had started to obsess over. He didn't need to ask how far she'd take it because he knew; she'd drag his sorry ass all the way to the NCR if she thought it'd satiate her thirst for blood, for revenge. He suspected it would never be satiated. What Vault-Tec had ripped from her could not be replaced.

It made him wonder, only once, if he had ever done the same to someone. But since no one had ripped him apart, torn him limb from limb, he had to assume he hadn't. Then again, the times, they had changed.

He needed to get off the damn road.

“Find any ammo on them?”

Dani looked up and smiled, “Don't worry, baby. You know I'm always lookin' out for you.”

She tossed him the pouch that had held the super mutant's ammo reserves. He caught it and flashed her smile. 

“We'll want to start heading West again. We've gone far enough South,” MacCready cut in, stepping closer to them.

Gage studied the sky. It was gray, but not dark yet. The nights were getting colder, and he was starting to worry that, even if they finished their mission quickly, they'd have to stay put for a few months to avoid winter travel.

“Got a few hours yet,” was all he offered aloud, though, “should probably keep moving.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Gage had seen a lot of things in his time, but they had all started to blend together. There was a lot to see in the Commonwealth, but this was something different.

Rivet City, Mac had called it. Looked like a giant fucking boat to him. Whoever thought to start a settlement in there was either brilliant or real fucking stupid.

“Shit,” Dani whistled, “that is an interesting use of an old aircraft carrier. Look at that,” she motioned vaguely to the top, “still has the rusted planes up there, even.”

“You get why I thought those robots on the what was it-”

“USS Constitution.”

“Yeah. Now you know why I thought that was so funny.”

Gage didn't bother looking at the pair with him. He had learned more about the Adventures of Dani and MacCready over the past month and more than he cared to know about MacCready wanting to get a piece of the boss. He never got one, or at least not since Gage'd know the man, but it didn't stop the guy from trying.

“Gage, I ever tell you that story?”

At the sound of his name, he turned to Dani, “I heard it, boss.”

She grinned, “Good times.”

MacCready seemed to hesitate, “So, look, I need to get this to Duncan. And he's not here, but there are people inside that can help you. The Brotherhood,” he practically spat the name, “is a little South of here. The folks here can help you find them. Ask for Butch. He came from a Vault. He might still be around.”

Gage snorted at the name but said nothing. Sensing that there was a farewell about to happen, he clapped Mac on the shoulder, “Thanks for the cover fire,” and wandered up the stairs to give them some privacy and inspect the entrance to this strange city.

He could hear Dani thanking MacCready, reminding him to hold tight to Duncan and stop running. It was good advice. He heard MacCready thanking her for the cure, for everything, and he heard what he didn't say in the long pauses. 

Maybe he should worry, be jealous. But he understood Dani. Once she had made up her mind, that was it. And once she had chosen someone, they were it. Any fears he had came from his own insecurities, and those were things he didn't take to lookin' at.

It was a couple of minutes before she appeared at his side, and he saw the young man duck between some buildings, off to find his son.

“He's got a thing for you, boss,” Gage muttered around a cigarette.

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “but he's young, yet. He'll grow out of it, soon enough.”

Gage grunted something like a laugh.

“Besides,” she added, snatching his cigarette and taking a puff before leaning on her elbows over the railing, “he's too skinny.”

Gage turned to her, eyebrow raised, “You calling me fat?”

With an exaggerated sigh, she pushed herself up, handed the cigarette back and motioned to the giant ship with a nod, “Let's head inside and see what we can find, babe.”

She smacked his ass with a grin, as she walked past, then led him up the stairs.


	8. Butch Deloria, the Vault-Tec Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage is left in Rivet City to buy some information off of someone claiming to know about local vaults. It goes better than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, in Rivet City. And I'm already like "man...how can I get Dani to the Mojave??"

The whole city made noise, a kind of solemn groaning that permeated the walls, the floors, the ceilings. Theoretically there were people keeping the hunk of junk together, but Gage couldn't shake the feeling that one false move would have them all plummeting into the shallow – he hoped somewhat shallow – water below.

No wonder there were a lot of people in the bar.

Per the boss's request, he had held back, leaning against a wall with a drink in hand, while she did the talking. He was happy enough to watch her work. She was both charming and open and closed off at the same time, making people believe that she was more gullible and friendly than she really was. Maybe friendly wasn't the right word. She was friendly enough, but in a way that left herself unscathed if shit hit the fan.

He had never admired a person before, finding most of them to be either too weak or too bullheaded. She was the first and very likely the last.

She was chatting up the bartender, sharing some story that had the woman laughing and shaking her head, then with a shrug, waving in the direction of a man just walking in. He looked close to Dani's age, maybe somewhere between MacCready and the boss, anyway. Black hair slicked back, dressed in old denim (was there even new denim anymore?), a white shirt, and a black leather jacket that looked like it had seen better days.

Dani didn't approach him right away, though, instead coming to Gage's side.

“That guy's a vault dweller. Said he knew this young woman named Rose – they called her the Lone Wanderer. Apparently she's some savior of the Capitol? She was in with the Brotherhood, too.”

Gage blinked, “You learned all that in the last ten minutes?”

Dani shrugged, “The Lone Wanderer was apparently a really big deal. Even 10 years later, they're singin' her praises.”

Gage grinned, “Well, shit, Dani, sounds like what folks in the Commonwealth think about you.”

She snorted, “Not these days.”

“Fuck 'em.”

She shrugged, “Here's what I'm thinking. You go talk to Butch-”

“His name's really Butch?”

“And I'll go see the Brotherhood.”

Gage grunted, “How far away is the Brotherhood?”

She didn't meet his eyes, “A couple of hours from here.”

That didn't sit well with him. He didn't want her roaming around this blasted city alone. It was in worse shape than the 'wealth. She picked up on his reticence right away.

“Gage, I don't know the Brotherhood here.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“And I think you'll have better luck with this Butch character. Apparently he leans toward the more chaotic side of things – more gang leader than change agent.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

She kissed his cheek, “It means my mind's made up. I'll be back soon as I can be.”

He turned his gaze to his assignment, Butch, then back to Dani with a frown, “Damnit, Dani. You know I don't like this.”

“I'll make it up to you,” she smiled, sliding her fingers under the bars of his chest armor.

“You know I'll hold you to that.”

“Counting on it,” she murmured, planting a promising kiss against his lips before pulling away again, “I'll see you tomorrow at the latest. If it'll be longer, I'll send word.”

He scowled, watching her leave. This whole damn reckoning of hers was turning her reckless. He wasn't sure what bothered him most about that – he disrespected reckless leaders, those that ran in head first without thinking, but this was different. Dani was only leading herself and him, but she hadn't ordered him to do that. She was going to get him killed, he knew it, but for the first time, that didn't bother him nearly as much as the fact that she was going to get herself killed.

With a displeased grunt, he pushed himself toward the bar. He needed a stiffer drink, and if he happened to make the acquaintance of one _Butch_ , then that was just icing on the proverbial cake.

“I don't think I recognize you.”

Nothing like not being familiar to get people to talk to you, Gage thought with a grimace. He looked briefly at the young man, “Well I just rolled in this morning. Never seen a town in a boat before. Thought it warranted a drink.”

The greaser sneered, but Gage recognized the look. He was realizing that the newcomer wouldn't be an easy target, and that was always hard to swallow.

“So where you from then?”

Gage turned fully to his target, waving half-heartedly at the bartender, gesturing between the two of them, “Round of bourbons here.”

Another sneer.

“I'm from the Commonwealth.”

“Bullshit.”

Gage shrugged. Butch eyed the glasses that were placed on the counter in front of them, and Gage watched his hand twitch.

“Why would I lie about that? You ever been? You might be shocked to hear, but it ain't much better than this. Same blown out buildings and fine, radioactive dust coating everything.”

“So what are you doing here, then?”

“My boss dragged me here. She's looking for someone that wronged her and is seeking revenge.”

His new companion blinked, “Oh.”

“You know anything about Vault-Tec by chance?”

Another blink, then a shrug, and he reached out for the bourbon, “What do you want to know?”

“So that's a yes. There's this game we got in the 'wealth called 'I give you money for every answer you give me that ain't complete bullshit.' You got anything like that around here?”

“I'm familiar with it.”

Gage nodded, “Oh, well that's great. I got my cards over at my table there,” he gestured blindly, “if you're interested in playing a round or two.”

When he heard no argument, Gage turned and led the way, Butch following behind him. He wasn't worried about a knife in the back, seeing as no one had ever been fast enough to get more than a nick on him. He and his new-found friend sat at a table, studying one another.

“How much can you tell me?”

“How much you got?”

“Depends on what you got.”

Butch straightened slightly, “I grew up in a vault with the Lone Wanderer.”

Gage arched an eyebrow, “You say that like I know who the fuck that is.”

Butch's eyes narrowed, “You don't know about the Lone Wanderer? The one who purified all our water?”

Gage shrugged.

“Well whatever. I grew up in a vault, is the point.”

Gage took a sip of his beverage but said nothing. Butch had confirmed what Dani had heard. He seemed like a pretty straightforward guy, still a little young, but he looked like someone who was able to learn, at least. Maybe. He squirmed in the silence, but only after a long beat.

“Alright. I'll give you a list of questions. Each question is worth anywhere from 25 to 50 caps now, and if they pan out, another 25 to 50 later. If any of your answers are lies, that'll be 100 caps back to me.”

Butch rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless.

“First question, which vault did you grow up in?”

“Vault 101. I have my old vault suit to prove it.”

Gage downed his drink in one gulp and pulled out his bag of caps, “That's great news, son, but it don't mean shit to someone who ain't from around here. Where is this Vault 101?”

“Near Megaton, and that's all I'll say -”

Gage cut him off, dropping caps into his emptied cup. The first fell with a satisfying clink, followed by the gentle tinkling sound of the remaining 24 caps.

“How many vaults you reckon are around here, anyway?”

Butch shrugged, “Rose found some of them, I know. There was the one with all the kids. I'd say maybe 5? But the Brotherhood would know better.”

30 more caps went into the glass.

Gage nodded toward the young man's wrist, “You got a pip boy?”

Butch instinctively pulled his arm closer, “Yeah, but I don't keep it on me.”

“It got maps?”

Suspicion on the man's face, “Why?”

“My boss has one, and if you have a map on yours that we could share with hers, I'd say that'd be worth a lot more than 50 caps.”

He nodded

“Alright. Last question. You ever hear of someone named Stanislaus Braun?”

The look on the man's face made it clear he had not, “What the hell kind of name is that?”

Gage chuckled, “Fuck if I know. Boss says it's German.”

“Where is your boss?”

“Went to see the Brotherhood.”

Gage dropped the remaining owed caps into the cup, “Here's the first half. When she gets back, I expect to see a map from you. And when we're done, you'll get the rest.”

He slid the cup to the man and stood, “Nice talkin' to ya.”

“Butch,” his companion offered.

Gage nodded, “Butch.”

He made his way out of the bar then and went to the entrance of the city. If Dani had gone to the Brotherhood and what Butch said was true, then she'd be there a while. He wanted to be easy to find if she sent someone for him. And the noises were unsettling. He wanted to see the sky.


	9. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage can't sleep, so he arrives at the Brotherhood camp early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given potential ongoing delays, I offer a smutty interlude by way of apology/asking forgiveness.

As expected, Dani didn't show back at Rivet City, but she sent word by way of a young Brotherhood recruit. She would be staying there. It wasn't a good idea to travel at night, so she said to meet her there tomorrow - she had found something.

Gage pushed down the thoughts and strange feeling in his chest at the message. He wasn't some lovesick puppy. He was a raider. He shouldn't be thinking about where the boss was sleeping, if she was safe. He should be thinking about how to get something out of the people in this giant ship.

Had he changed for her?

This thought put him in a sour mood, and that mood was all that accompanied him to bed that night, stowed away on a spare cot in a bunk room. He stared at the metal ceiling. He tried to find what it was he was getting out of this. Assuming that Nuka World wasn't in flames when they returned, would they be able to go back to how things were? Would this journey clear whatever shadows were in Dani's mind, make her a better leader? She didn't _need_ to be better; she had done what no one before had accomplished.

He grunted. He had been sucked into this vendetta, and only now, on a cot in a dead ship did he realize how off course it all was. Something like anger gripped him. Was he just being used? Had Dani planned this all along - string him up in her web, so he would help her set fire to the past?

He rolled onto his side, trying to focus. That wasn't her style. She was manipulative sometimes, but her long game rarely was. She had nothing to gain by keeping him around. She could have gotten this far without him, maybe even further. He inhaled and sat up, realizing he wasn't going to be sleeping.

The Capitol had its own charm, he considered, leaning over the railing of the ship. If only because it was different. Sure, he could see blasted buildings back home, but there were some unusual sights, too. Like the giant phallic symbol over there, or the statues they had passed on the way in. New meant something of value that he didn't already have.

He approached the guard standing at half-interested attention nearby, “Which way to the Brotherhood camp?”

The guard pushed himself off the wall, walked to the edge and pointed, “Head that way. You can't miss it. A giant building with soldiers in armor outside.”

“Obliged,” he grumbled and set off toward the ramp that would take him back to solid ground.

The lights spread throughout the area cast the unfamiliar terrain in an otherworldly light. If Gage were a poetic man, he'd notice it. Instead it only concerned him that visibility might not be the best. Never one to accept sitting and waiting, though, he didn't have much choice, so on he went.

He was disappointed at his uneventful trip, his fingers itching for a fight. Nothing happened, though, so he found himself approaching the large structure that had been described to him. The most exciting part of his journey was the suit of power armor holding out a hand and telling him to halt.

“Porter Gage,” he huffed, “here on request of -”

“We're not expecting you until morning.”

He blinked, shrugged, “I'm early.”

“Come on through.”

Feeling the late hour now, he followed the soldier's hand motions inside. He wondered if the Elder himself had returned yet, if he had welcomed Dani or treated her with suspicion. The guards didn't seem too happy to have him there, but then again, when was the Brotherhood ever happy? Through the thick concrete wall, Gage found himself in an open yard, doors spaced somewhat evenly around the perimeter.

And Dani was behind one of them.

He wouldn't have to wander aimlessly, though, seeing as another soldier was approaching him. An officer, if the uniform was any indication, but at the distance it was hard to tell. He looped his thumbs in the bars of his armor and waited.

He felt the blood draining from his face and traveling South when he realized it was Dani. The supple black hugged her in ways that he hadn't seen on her before. His jaw felt loose, the bottom half dropping.

“You're early,” was the only greeting she offered.

“You're fine as hell,” he countered.

That at least had the corner of her mouth tugging up, “Not so bad yourself. Come on.”

He followed behind her, watching the way the other soldiers watched her. They were suspicious, but they kept a respectful distance. She was clearly someone with authority.

“There something I should know?”

“I outrank pretty much everyone here. Especially with Maxson still in the Commonwealth. And, of course, not _all_ news has traveled back here, since the nature of my current endeavors would not look good for the Brotherhood.”

“He hasn't said anything because it'd be embarrassing...”

“Bingo.”

“Hate to say this, boss, but I might blow your cover.”

“Not at all, Knight. Everyone here knows about how you've been undercover for the past year.”

Gage groaned. He didn't like playing a part. He was who he was, and he had never made apologies for that. But in the long list of things that he'd swallowed for her sake, this went down easier than others. They entered one of the doors and found themselves in a hallway with a staircase leading down ahead of them. They took the stairs, descending onto a metal walkway, where they turned and entered another hall.

The hallways were mostly clear, save for a few soldiers on watch. Dani spoke in hushed tones with one, then opened a door and held it open, gesturing for him to enter.

Once inside with the door closed, he was a little surprised to find Dani pressing herself against him, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses and bites along his neck.

“Well I'm happy to see you, too,” he murmured, trailing his palms over her arms.

She pulled back, fingers wrapping around his armor, as she looked up into his eyes, “I have him.”

He blinked, “What?”

“I know where Dr. Braun is.”

Gage had mixed feelings. He didn't like any feelings, but when they were jumbled like this, he liked them even less. They had fucked on the way to the Capitol, but more frequently lately it was him initiating. Until now. And it was because she was closer to her revenge. It felt...wrong. Maybe. He really wasn't sure. He also wasn't going to stop her.

“Where?”

“The Lone Wanderer reported a run-in with him in a vault. There weren't a lot of specifics because I guess things started moving kind of fast right around that time, but...I've got him.”

“When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. And since you got here tonight, we can start early in the morning.”

“Ok.”

She tugged him down toward her, kissing him, biting his lower lip. When she pulled away, he searched her eyes, and he realized both what the problem had been and simultaneously that it was solved. She had been burning hot and bright since their journey started, burning in the way that Gage didn't trust. He had forgotten what the calm and hardened Dani was like. But now...

The inferno behind her eyes was gone. To his relief, those depths once again contained the icy void of her resolve, the steadfast and unyielding will that he had come to...that he looked for in her. Dani was back. He heard himself growl something, it may have been her name, or it may have been something else, as he walked her back, attacking her lips with his own.

There was a spark in the way she ran her nails over the stubble on the sides of his mohawk, the way she arched against him, pushed herself ever so slightly against his growing erection. He wanted to touch her, but he had to remove the armor, and years of practice made him quicker than she was.

He pulled away to remove the metal from his chest, and with it clear, she was against him again, hands splayed on his chest, under his shirt.

It had been too long since they'd been like this, wrapped up in the moment, the only fire to them the one between them. Too long since he'd peeled her clothing away to see her completely bare in front of him. Too long since he'd been given the time to taste her, to watch himself disappear between her lips while she looked at him with a world of promises.

Next thing he knew, he was on his back, Dani riding him, her fingers digging into his shoulder. He felt her flutter around him then squeeze like a vice. She slowed her movements, and he sat up, wrapping an arm around her and flipping them over. He tugged her hair to get her attention, pumping into her as he kissed her. She raked her nails over his back, hooked a leg around his knee and brought the other one up to his side. He gripped her thigh, turned his face to kiss the inside of her leg.

She arched up into him, a wordless, panting cry falling from her lips. He ran his tongue over the exposed skin of her throat, tasting the salt there, palming her breast. When she came down again, he pulled out, and in that knowing way that she had with him, she sat up, kissed him hard before turning around, leaning on her elbows.

He groaned, lined himself up and thrust into her again. He pressed a hand to her spine, starting at her ass and feeling the curve of it up to her neck. He admired her shape, the subtle dip of her waist, the way the light made the Valkyrie on her back flutter its wings. His eyes feasted on the ripple of her muscles, the scars that marked her. He traced her shoulder, down to her elbow, and then to her hand, planted on the mattress, fingers digging into the thin sheets below her.

Their fingers twined, and as he pumped harder, he leaned over to kiss her shoulder blade, his free hand sliding down her thigh to squeeze, to tell her the things he would never say out loud.

He felt himself getting close, so he pulled himself back up, sucked his thumb into his mouth before pressing it against her other hole – just enough pressure to feel her jerk, gasp, and then squeeze around him again. As she came down, he stuttered, then felt the shiver of release, a held breath leaving him in a gasp. He rocked against her for another moment, hands wandering over her in the quiet.

She pulled herself up, and he slipped out, fell forward and twisted on his side. She nestled next to him, a tired, contented smile on her face.

“Missed you,” he grunted.

Dani frowned, reached out and traced the curve of his brow, “I know. I'm...”

He nodded, “I know.”

When he woke up, they were covered in a sheet, and the day was upon them.


	10. Paging Dr. Braun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We don't always get revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am hastily posting the last two chapters. I realized about 2/3rds of the way through writing this that the story isn't really about Dani's revenge...and so I had to clumsily rework the ending. But I also want to put this story to bed. I have other ideas for other things, and I want to work on them, but I couldn't leave this tale untold. Dani deserves better.
> 
> BARELY edited.
> 
> And only one chapter after this.

The vault was empty.

It had the kind of cold cleanliness that only came from the continued, monotonous work of the robot keepers of the place. 

Their footsteps echoed in the halls until they came to a vast chamber with pods that Dani said she recognized from the Memory Den in Goodneighbor. It was clear that there had once been people in them, but whatever had been left of them had been cleaned as meticulously as every other surface within. 

Gage peered into the last pod in the circle, finding it as empty and clean as the others. He looked briefly at Dani, unsure what to expect. Her expression was placid, no indication of her feelings.

“There’s a console over here,” she said evenly, taking long strides to the computer.

One of the robots, a Robobrain, she had called it, approached, its tinny voice barely getting out a syllable before the glass shell around its brain shattered, the fluid and brain within spilling out, along with the deafening snap of the bullet being fired. Dani’s head hadn’t moved, just her arm and hand. She continued forward, gun back at her side, ignoring the frantic, alarmed protests of the other robots in the area.

Gage brought his rifle up to his shoulder, eyes flicking between the robots amassing around the room and Dani, now at the terminal, seemingly without a care in the world. He backed up toward her, “Boss, they weren’t too happy with that.”

No response.

He grunted, something between a laugh and a question, but she was clearly not answering any of those.

He heard her typing, a whispered curse, typing again, then, “There we go.”

The Robobrains were still coming in, an alarm now sounding. Four of them. There would be more, especially if he started shooting. Maybe if they did nothing further…

“He died,” she intoned behind him, “the Lone Wanderer killed him.”

“Violently, I hope?”

“No,” she muttered, then turned.

Dani was one that liked to get up close and personal for the kills. For all of her icy resolve, her unyielding will, she was fire in battles. They had a silent agreement, accordingly, a system that worked. It was tried and true. She went in, and he held back and protected her.

Except the tides had shifted with whatever was on that terminal, and now she turned, her modded 10mm in hand, and just started shooting. Glass exploded, chemical water spilled out, and sparks flew.

Then came the return fire, with the acrid smell of lasers blasting past them.

Gage brought up his rifle again and started shooting anything that moved beyond the room. They had no idea how many robots were in here, what kind of security was in place, and she was just tearing into the waves. He barely had time to grab her by the shoulder and pull her down behind one of the pods.

“Boss, we need a plan. We don’t know how many of these fucking things are out there.”

“I don’t care,” she snarled, wrestling away from his grip, “I’m going to destroy all of them.”

Undeterred, he grabbed her again, “That’s fine, boss. And I’ll help. But we need a damn plan.”

“I _had_ a plan, Gage. Plans don’t count for shit. You can help me, or get out of my fucking way.”

She shrugged him off again and stood. He growled but said nothing, popping up long enough to aim and take a shot at movement in the far door. The room became a war zone, a tunnel of noise and flashes of light. Bullets, the twang of laser fire, shattering glass. All he could do was stand, shoot, stand, shoot, reload, repeat.

It felt like years passed, watching his bullet stockpile dwindle down to dangerously low until the noise stopped. There were no more sudden bursts of lasers or random shots, no more robotic alarms, just silence, which in that moment was worse.

He wanted to call out to Dani, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was afraid she wouldn’t answer, either because she couldn’t or because she had nothing to say. 

He dropped his head against the pod he had used as cover, taking deep breaths and scanning what little ammunition he had left. A few more breaths had him standing again, scanning the carnage. Dani was in the midst of it, and he wasn’t surprised to see her gun pointed at the sparking remains of one of the vault guardians, pulling the trigger repeatedly, her eyes unseeing, the empty click of the hammer like a metronome.

Rolling his shoulders, he made his way over, careful to not startle her, to make some noise on his slow approach. He reached out slowly, wrapping his hand around hers and tugging the gun down.

“He was alive,” she hissed.

“He ain’t now, and it was a long shot when we came this way.”

“His life was _mine_ to take.”

Gage grunted, gently removing the gun from her hand, rubbing the skin between her thumb and forefinger, massaging her fingers, “Boss-”

“No, Gage. There’s nothing to do here. There’s no balm. There’s no…”

She ripped her hand out of his and turned, spitting at the mass of metal nearby. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, Dani. He should have died hundreds of years ago-”

“So should I!”

Gage shut his mouth, lips drawn tight. He wasn’t in for this dark cloud, suicidal shit. He tossed her gun to the side, “I ain’t about to sit here and let you talk like that. Your husband was shot. The love of your life. That’s a shit hand, alright, but now you’re just being selfish. You think he’d want you to be sitting here like this? Shit, Boss, you think he’d want you wandering all over this wasteland seeking vengeance? We got a good thing back home-”

“Home? Nuka World?”

He couldn’t admit that it was a blow, that her words knocked the air from his lungs. Not wouldn’t. He couldn’t. 

He shook his head, “What, and this is? You want to just throw it all away now?”

She didn’t respond, just stared at the floor.

He huffed, waving vaguely in the direction of the vault’s entrance, “I made a promise to him, by the way. And I don’t hold much sacred, but I told him I’d take care of you, and you’re making that damn hard.”

“What am I supposed to do now?”

Gage shrugged, “Way I see it, you got something you need to work out, there’s a whole world of shitheads out there just waiting to get their heads bashed in.”

“I wasn’t ready. I’m not ready.”

“Never are, Boss. But you gotta keep moving forward. There ain’t no other option.”

“You don’t understand, Gage,” she muttered, staggering to her feet, only to stumble back to the pod and lean against it, shaking her head, “I went into a decontamination pod, and I woke up in hell.”

His angry sneer surprised even him, “You’ve said that before, but you know I was born in it. I was born in the ‘wealth, Dani. From what I can tell, your memories of the past come with a special pair of rose tinted glasses. Couldn’t have been perfect, since you all went and blew each other to shit. Point I’m making here is, all of us you know, ‘cept maybe some ghouls, we all managed to make pretty damn good lives out of what we have here.”

Her eyes narrowed, and he thought for sure her wrath was on the tip of her tongue, but she looked away, “I…”

He rolled his shoulders and slung his rifle over his shoulder, “And frankly, I’m tired of this place. You coming?”

It was only the years of living in the Wasteland, the hardened edges that he had honed through his equally hard life, that kept his eyes forward when he turned and started to walk away. His heart rate was higher than normal, calming only when he heard her shuffling steps behind him. They were near the entrance when her fingers wrapped around his wrist, tugging. He turned.

“I’m going to burn this fucking place.”

He nodded and tossed her his lighter.


	11. God's Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is hell, anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we come to the end. I wanted to end this with a little bit of doubt on Dani's side because in my HC timeline, this story takes place BEFORE my one-short, Dream of You in Blue. Dani has tried to cope with the loss of Nate in various ways, and now she's stuck just...dealing with it.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read, subscribed, sent kudos, commented. All are appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed.

They didn’t go back to Rivet City or the Brotherhood base. They made their way back to the Commonwealth, or rather, carved a bloody path in the general direction of the Commonwealth. 

Dani had always been a good fighter, a brutal killer. But now she was ruthless. Now she scorched the Earth, as they went along. She went out of her way to find a fight, snarling in the faces of greenskins, Gunners, and Deathclaws alike. It wasn’t enough for her to kill the things were out to get them. She had gotten downright _mean_ , crippling enemies and letting the live to see the rest of their parties killed before finishing them off.

Gage wasn’t entirely pleased watching her in action, seeing her do things that would have made Nisha blush and stutter.

But he kept his mouth shut, covering her with his rifle and picking up the ammo and supplies that her victims left behind. She ate most nights, and she fucked him, but there was something ugly and violent growing with her, the guilt and the pain all built up with no outlet.

The trip home felt longer than eternity.

*     *     *

There was a nip in the air when they arrived back in the Commonwealth. They hadn’t spoken more than necessary for a couple of days, as Dani’s mood soured the closer they got. Gage had made peace with the fact that she was probably going to disappear, or at least kick him out. Whatever they had had, he was sure it ended in that vault.

He was angry. He was angry at Vault-Tec, angry at Dani, angry at himself. He was angry that her mood was clouding his own judgment, and he had started the long process of convincing himself that the growing distance really was for the best. 

It didn’t make the morning he woke, maybe a day left to Nuka World, to find that Dani and her things were gone. Even expecting it hadn’t been enough to prepare him. He tried to convince himself that he was angry at her for abandoning the post at Nuka World, that the tightness in his chest was worry about going back to the Pack and the Operators without an Overboss. 

All he could do was pack his things and keep moving. With each step, he imagined Stanislaus Braun, a group of distant scientists in the clean and chrome past that the boss had come from. He imagined them planning the vaults with cold efficiency, smooth talking and bullshitting their way into the government’s lap, convincing scared people to sign up just to fuck with them. He didn’t think about how similar his raiders were to Vault-Tec, instead reminding himself again and again that he made no excuses about who he was, no false claims.

He stood in front of the train for what felt like years, staring into the empty car that would take him back to Nuka World. He felt tired, full of aches, the years seeming suddenly and violently to catch up with him. How many years did he have left, anyway? He’d led a fast and hard life, and he never deluded himself that he’d live to be a great age. Every year that went by, he was a little more surprised to be drawing breath.

He hated introspection, and he hated the increasingly sinking feeling in his gut, as he realized he wouldn’t go back to Nuka World without Dani. Maybe he would never say it out loud or even think the words directly, but he was irrevocably in love with her. She had swept into his life like a hurricane, and he didn’t remember how to manage in calm waters. 

He turned away from the train.

*     *     *

They had scoured the local Vault-Tec headquarters, but if he knew anything still on this rock, it was the Overboss. The door was ajar, wrenched open and half pulled from its rusted hinges. Anyone else passing by would assume the place had become a home to super mutants.

It was dark inside, the only light coming from sporadic, filtered light. There was a basement, of course, and he recalled the lights still flickering to life when they had visited previously. He crept through the entire building above ground, inspecting each room, trying to recall the layout. The signs of the boss tearing through the place were everywhere - desks rummaged through, papers and folders thrown across rooms, terminals with blinking screens frozen on some report or another.

The elevator shook on the way down, and Gage could only hope he wasn’t too late.

At the sound of enraged screaming when the doors opened, he felt nothing but relief. He practically ran toward the sound, losing the battle to keep himself in check. 

He found her in a room with rows of computers, her fist clenched on the desk, eyes squeezed shut. She wasn’t wearing armor, was unaware of his presence. Her bat was some feet away on the floor. If someone wanted the Overboss dead, this would be the time to do it. 

He took four strides to her side and pulled her into him. She went rigid at first, her eyes opening wide in surprise, then softened marginally at the realization it was him. She said nothing, and he didn’t break the silence, just pressed her into his chest and kissed the top of her head. He didn’t comment on her shoulders shaking, and the words he whispered into her hair would never be repeated.

They stayed there until she pulled away and looked up at him. She said nothing; the circles under her eyes were sign enough of her exhaustion.

“Let me take you home now, boss. We’ll figure out the next step later.”

Dani looked around the room, then nodded slowly.

*     *     *

“This can’t be hell,” she muttered, sitting next to him on the train back to Nuka World.

They were the first words she had spoken since they left the city.

He grunted.

“Or maybe it is. The original descriptions of hell were of a frozen lake, a place where God was simply absent. I certainly don’t feel God here.”

“You believe in that sort of thing?”

She shrugged.

Her weight pressed into his side with the motion of the train.

“I feel like, sometimes, I used to. But as the war went on, he - she? - _it_ retreated. I think maybe we killed God. And I just wanted...someone should have to answer for that.”

Gage didn’t know how to respond to that. He knew that people out there still believed in shit like that, and a person would have to be sheltered to not have seen the remains of churches. But Dani had never struck him as the type. She had never spoken about belief in anything else, never mentioned church. To hear her tell the story of her youth, she was anything but religious.

Then again, see the world you knew blasted into oblivion might cause one to rethink those beliefs.

“We killed God, and now there is nothing, and this is hell. But maybe I’m the only one who knows that because I’m the only one who remembers.”

“Maybe it ain’t about that, boss. You got a second chance. And you ain’t someone to roll over and take it. You want something, you take it.”

“I want revenge.”

“No, you don’t. You want someone or something to answer for all the shit that happened. But they already answered, boss. They either died in the mess they made, or they became ghouls that, like, saw the world before. You want to go back, and you can’t. You gotta go forward.”

She was quiet again for some time before nudging his side with her shoulder, “You’re too smart for someone who grew up without a public education system.”

He chuckled, “From what you tell me, that’s one of the better things we left behind.”

They were nearing Nuka World, the train slowing, Fizztop clear on the horizon.

Dani sighed, “Better put on my game face.”

“Boss?”

“Hm?”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think this could be hell. You’re here.”

“That so?”

“You tell anyone I said that-”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead pulling her closer to him and telling her in other ways that, if this _was_ hell, then he’d happily stay.


End file.
